By Wednesday evening, the Tubbs fire had reached about 28,000 acres and was 10% contained. Other fires ranging in size from 1,800 to 21,000 acres burned throughout the area and in surrounding counties.

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Though some evacuation orders in Yuba and Nevada counties were lifted, officials estimated that upwards of 50,000 people were still out of their homes. More people in Sonoma and Napa counties were asked to leave their homes Tuesday night.

Napa County Supervisor Diane Dillon said Cal Fire commanders decided in the middle of the night to evacuate nearly half of the valley town of Calistoga, and by 3:30 a.m., Dillon and town officials along with police crews were walking house to house in the thick smoke, knocking on doors and telling occupants to leave.

“I was stunned to hear Cal Fire was recommending a massive, for Calistoga, evacuation,” Dillon said. “When we went out to talk, people were already leaving. People were alert to the situation.”

During a packed community meeting with emergency officials inside the Santa Rosa High School gym Tuesday evening, Sonoma County residents battered by the deadly wildfires were told that a red flag warning forecasting potentially hazardous fire conditions had been issued for Wednesday.

This comes after cooler weather allowed firefighters to gain ground Tuesday morning, only to see the flames flare up again with afternoon winds.

“This is nowhere near over. This is still very dangerous,” Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano said Tuesday night.

Officials hope, though, that they won’t again face the 80 mph winds that stoked fires so quickly Sunday night.

In Mendocino County, where the Redwood and Potter fires have reached a combined 29,500 acres with 5% containment, one resident recalled the rush to get out in time.

It was just after 1 a.m. Monday when Jaime Lynn Lojowsky woke up to a pounding at the door.

“There is a fire on the mountain,” she heard her neighbor tell her husband. “It’s an emergency. It’s an emergency.”

Lojowsky, who lives in Redwood Valley with her husband, Mac, and two young girls, looked out her back window. Normally, she’d see bright stars, the moon peeking between the redwoods, pines and oak trees. It was one of the reasons why she’d moved from crowded and light-polluted Southern California more than a year ago.

This time, white smoke choked the night sky. The hillside was on fire. Flames licked the backyard of her 1-acre lot.

Lojowsky’s husband ran out the door to knock on neighbors’ doors to wake them, telling them to get out. One home had already caught fire.

The winds picked up. The flames raced toward them.

“Jaime, the house is going to go. What do you want to take?” he asked.

She had minutes.

On the outside, the couple tried to stay calm for 5-year-old Isabella. Lojowsky asked her to grab some things she’d like to take. Isabella grabbed her blanket and a stash of Halloween-themed toys.

On the inside, Lojowsky panicked.

“We’re going to die. I don’t want my babies to die like this,” she thought. “This can’t be happening.”

Lojowsky roused her youngest — 2-year-old Lourdes — from bed. She piled the girls into her Kia Sedona. They were met with a cloud of white smoke when she opened her garage door. Ash and fire rained down on the vehicle as she drove down the driveway and into the main road. Her husband followed in a truck behind them. About a mile down the road, a wall of flames blocked their path.

It was the main way out. She’d never gone the back way — a windy, dirt and gravel mountain road through a canyon.

Some cars barreled through the flames. Others went off the road.

She was uncertain on what to do. If she turned back, would she be met by a raging fire?

That’s when she spotted a Cal Fire truck. The crew directed her to go back through the mountain pass. It was safe, they reassured her. She turned back and drove past her home. She zoomed by her neighbor’s house and saw the cars still parked outside. She wondered if they’d make it out. They had three young boys.

“They have to leave now,” she thought.

Her car climbed up the mountain pass, tailing her husband’s truck. She called him on her cellphone, asking him to dial 911 to find out what they should do. She just wanted someone to tell her what to do or where to go.

The sky was still full of white smoke. She could see the flames in her rearview mirror. Lojowsky just kept driving, looking forward and keeping an eye on the gravel road speckled with potholes. Her vehicle weaved on a dirt road through a dense forest of redwoods, pines and oak trees. She could hardly see the road in front of her.

Ten minutes later, Isabella broke her silence.

“Great news, Mom. I can see the moon,” she said. “I can see stars.”

Lojowsky, who has fire insurance, would later discover that her house and farm had burned down. Only the brick fireplace remains of Lojowsky’s three-bedroom home. It’s unclear whether her chickens survived. But her family, two dogs and cats had made it out alive.

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Calistoga, Calif., police officers inform Rancho de Calistoga mobile home park resident Larry Strakbein about mandatory evacuation orders. The department’s goal is to have all 5,000 residents of Calistoga out by 5 p.m.

Calistoga, Calif., police officers inform Rancho de Calistoga mobile home park resident Larry Strakbein about mandatory evacuation orders. The department’s goal is to have all 5,000 residents of Calistoga out by 5 p.m.

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Calistoga, Calif., police officers inform Rancho de Calistoga mobile home park resident Larry Strakbein about mandatory evacuation orders. The department’s goal is to have all 5,000 residents of Calistoga out by 5 p.m.

Calistoga, Calif., police officers inform Rancho de Calistoga mobile home park resident Larry Strakbein about mandatory evacuation orders. The department’s goal is to have all 5,000 residents of Calistoga out by 5 p.m.

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A day after the Canyon 2 brush fire broke out, firefighters survey the scene of a destroyed home in Anaheim Hills, Calif. (Jessica Q. Chen / Los Angeles Times)

A day after the Canyon 2 brush fire broke out, firefighters survey the scene of a destroyed home in Anaheim Hills, Calif. (Jessica Q. Chen / Los Angeles Times)

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Penny Wright discusses the loss of her home in the Fountaingrove neighborhood of Santa Rosa, Calif.

Penny Wright discusses the loss of her home in the Fountaingrove neighborhood of Santa Rosa, Calif.

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Anaheim Hills resident Danny Williamson sifts through the remnants of his home on Via El Estribo, which was destroyed Monday as flames swept up the canyon. He and his family evacuated quickly with some belongings and escaped unharmed.

Anaheim Hills resident Danny Williamson sifts through the remnants of his home on Via El Estribo, which was destroyed Monday as flames swept up the canyon. He and his family evacuated quickly with some belongings and escaped unharmed.

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Officials hope winds will let up as 100,000 acres burn

Officials hope winds will let up as 100,000 acres burn

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Over 160,000 acres have been destroyed in northern California fires.

Over 160,000 acres have been destroyed in northern California fires.

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Over 160,000 acres have been destroyed in northern California fires.

Over 160,000 acres have been destroyed in northern California fires.

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The death toll from the Northern California fires has reached 17. A wounded Mandalay Bay security guard warned hotel officials about a gunman before the Las Vegas massacre. Harvey Weinstein is facing more sexual assault and harassment allegations. The FBI’s investigation into bribery and corruption in college basketball continues to expand.

The death toll from the Northern California fires has reached 17. A wounded Mandalay Bay security guard warned hotel officials about a gunman before the Las Vegas massacre. Harvey Weinstein is facing more sexual assault and harassment allegations. The FBI’s investigation into bribery and corruption in college basketball continues to expand.

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A Northern California firestorm is one of the worst in state history, officials say. The Dodgers are heading to the NLCS after beating the Diamondbacks Monday night. Police have dramatically changed their account of how the Las Vegas massacre began. The Los Angeles Times has named a new editor in chief.

A Northern California firestorm is one of the worst in state history, officials say. The Dodgers are heading to the NLCS after beating the Diamondbacks Monday night. Police have dramatically changed their account of how the Las Vegas massacre began. The Los Angeles Times has named a new editor in chief.

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A wind-fed wildfire surged over the Anaheim Hills on Monday, burning several homes and forcing thousands to evacuate as fire crews struggled to battle the rapidly growing blaze.

A wind-fed wildfire surged over the Anaheim Hills on Monday, burning several homes and forcing thousands to evacuate as fire crews struggled to battle the rapidly growing blaze.